


Stay With Me (Please Don't Go)

by ilithiyarys



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: 15x01, 15x02, Blood, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Fix-It, Gunshot Wounds, Hospitals, Major Character Injury, Team as Family, Trauma, Whump, Willifer, jeid friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22325227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilithiyarys/pseuds/ilithiyarys
Summary: Grace Lynch and Everett Lynch are on the run, but not before critically injuring a member of the BAU.Fix-it fic for 15x01 and 15x02.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/William LaMontagne Jr.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 18





	1. The Shooting

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I enjoyed the actual episode, I feel like the whole 'JJ getting shot' part was poorly written, so here's me fixing that. I also wanted to re-write it in a way that was more angsty, had more family/team moments (in lieu of the lack of hospital/family scenes that could've been from episode 200), and explored JJ and Emily's friendship a little deeper - especially since one of Emily's nightmares is specifically JJ getting critically injured or dying (11x19). Anyway, enjoy!

JJ made her way into the open parking garage, having her gun aimed ahead of her.

She'd just parted ways from Reid. Part of her was thankful - the last few months had been awkward being around him since she'd confessed her love for him. But part of her was worried, because deep down inside, she knew it was a bad idea whenever they split up.

She shook off the thought and set her focus in front of her. The blonde carefully walked down the ramp, heart racing with anticipation. For some reason, she had a gut feeling that the man they've been hunting for would be there, right at the end of the parking garage.

As she moved towards a parked truck in front of her, she sees Lynch out of the corner of her eye.

"Everett Lynch -"

But before she could say the _"FBI"_ part, he raised his arm, firing a few shots at the blonde agent. JJ ducked behind the truck, narrowly dodging the bullets coming her way. She peeked around the corner, firing a few of her own back at Lynch's direction. Bullets came flying at her - she knows Lynch isn't letting up. Her heart was racing.

_Come on JJ, breathe in, breathe out._

The bullets stopped, and she could only assume that he was reloading his weapon. She peeked around corner once more, and saw him hiding behind a column. His shoulder was exposed. She found an opportunity to slow him down.

JJ trained her gun towards Lynch's direction and took the shot.

"Ah!" he yelled out, dropping his gun on the floor, grasping his arm. It was a flesh wound; she'd snagged him.

The blonde moved out of her position carefully, positioning her gun in front of her. "Everett Lynch, you're under arrest." JJ moved towards him, cuffing his hands behind his back. 

Something still didn't feel right. Where was Grace?

Suddenly, Grace appeared from behind another van. Three shots rang out, and before JJ could turn around, two of the bullets had found their way into her side, right in the area her vest doesn't happen to cover.

Her face contorted with shock - she knew that the bullet had done damage. She crumpled to the ground as the pain intensified.

Her vision was swimming, but she could see the brunette panicking - she'd just shot an FBI agent. Grace had put the gun back into her jacket pocket, and made her way towards the blonde agent to take the keys to unlock her father's handcuffs. She managed to free her father, helping him into the van as they made their escape. The van sped off and away, leaving JJ alone, bleeding out, and helpless.

She felt a cough coming, only for it to be full of blood.


	2. Just Hold On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer finds JJ

She was painfully aware of every breath, wheeze, every slowing beat of her heart, and the fact that she was dying. Her breath kept getting caught in her throat - each breath turning into a cough full of blood.

_"JJ, what's your location? JJ? Do you copy? JJ?"_

Spence. JJ so desperately wanted to respond, but she was unable to get a breath in, no less any words out. So she laid there, helpless.

By the time Spence made his way to her, she was fading in and out of consciousness, struggling to breathe. She was choking on her own blood.

"JJ!" He fell to his knees next to her, placing his hand on her wound, while helping her move her body to the side to help clear her airway. "It's okay, I got you. I'm right here, you're gonna be okay. Just stay with me, okay? keep breathing."

Her vision was blurred, and she felt exhausted, but she managed to nod to let him know she was doing her best to fight and stay alive. 

* * *

**At the BAU**

_"_ _JJ's down, she's been hit, we need an ambulance now!"_

"Oh God!" Penelope cried. She typed away at her computer, making sure that JJ would get the closest and fastest ambulance.

"Spencer, what happened?" Tara asked over the comms.

_"She's been shot in the side. Looks like it might've punctured her lung, she's been coughing up blood. It's bad guys, JJ needs help now, there isn't much that I can do for her. Garcia, how far is that ambulance?!"_

"It's three minutes away from your location, Spence, keep telling her to fight"

There were tears in Penelope's eyes. This was the one part she hated the most about this job whenever any of them got hurt - she hated being stuck behind a computer, not knowing if they'll make it or not.

Emily stood behind Garcia in shock. She had a terrible nightmare about JJ dying a few years ago, and every now again it would come around in different forms. But they were always the same - her worst nightmare was her family getting injured. 

And her worst nightmare had come to life. Her best friend was just shot. 

"Emily, should we go to the hospital?"

The brunette seemed to be lost in thought, blankly staring at the computer.

"Emily?" Tara gently nudged, placing her hand on her chief's shoulder.

She shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts.

"No, right now the best thing we can do for JJ is to nail Everett Lynch and stop him. I want every traffic camera, every unit on this guy. Nail his ass once and for all. Garcia, let Will know what happened. Reid, keep us updated on JJ's condition, I'll be there in an hour."

* * *

**In The Ambulance**

_"Pressure is one-sixty over ninety. Heart rate is one-twenty, she's losing a lot of blood,"_

_"Pulse-ox, ninety-two. No, actually fifteen liters."_

_"IV established. TKO."_

_"Got it,"_

_"ETA, eight minutes."_

Suddenly, the monitor began rapidly beeping. JJ coughed up another bout of blood, spraying it all over the oxygen mask, dripping down both sides of her face. Both medics began working furiously to keep JJ alive.

"Pulse is thready, airway is unstable. Her lung is collapsing and full of blood, we need to intubate now!"

The male medic moved behind her head, removing the oxygen mask. He gently tilted her back to insert the laryngoscope in her mouth, securing the plastic tube down her throat. He attached the bag to it so he could breathe for JJ.

"Tube secure."

Spencer felt helpless, watching the medics work on JJ. He held onto her hand - it was the least he could do. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel like she was alone. 

They were eight minutes away from the hospital.

_We're almost there JJ, keep holding on._


	3. Critical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JJ's in critical condition and is rushed to the hospital

The doors of the ER burst open. Spencer helped the medics push JJ's gurney as they rushed her through the hospital. "Hang on JJ, we're here"

Blood was seeping through her shirt, through the blankets the medics placed on her, dripping onto the floor. Two doctors sprinted towards the medics to assess the FBI agent.

"Gunshot wound to the upper torso, bullet entered under left arm, no exit wound, pulse is weak. Intubated en route, breathing was shallow. She's critical, lung may be filling with blood"

The first doctor began assessing the blonde agent. She was shorter, and dark haired. "How long was she down, Dr. Reid?"

"Couldn't have been more than five minutes from when we split up and when, I found her! Please, help her!"

He wanted to follow her into the OR. The doctor held her hand up. "I need you to stay here,"

Spencer looked over the doctor's shoulder, into the room behind. "No, I can't leave her!"

"I understand, but you need to let us work. Let us save her life." She quickly turned around, entering the OR.

Spencer stood back as he watched the doctors maneuver her gurney towards the monitors and machines. He could see everything through the window of the doors. The nurses and doctors took over and continued to work on JJ - they put her on a ventilator, and began placing various monitors all over her body.

"Stats are dropping," one nurse mentioned. "She's crashing," another added.

"Start compressions," the dark haired doctor ordered.

Spencer's heart was practically pounding out of his chest. _Come on, JJ. Don't do this._

A brunette doctor began doing compressions. Her heart was stopping. JJ was dying.

A resounding flatline came from JJ's monitor.

"Asystole," said the anesthesiologist. "No pulse."

"Charge to two-hundred joules."

"Come on," the brunette doctor breathed, as she continued doing compressions on JJ. "Don't die on me, come on."

One nurse monitored the defibrillator. "Charging," Another nurse grabbed the paddles from the side, handing them to the doctor. "Ready,"

"Stop compressions," the dark-haired doctor said as she charged the paddles. "Clear!"

Everyone backed off of her, as her body jolted from the shock.

Nothing.

"Continue compressions!"

The flatline grew louder and louder to Spencer's ears. Everyone turned their eyes to the monitor as the brunette doctor continued compressions.

Suddenly, a spike in JJ's monitor showed up.

"We got a rhythm,"

"Let's get her to cardio, now"

Spencer stumbled backwards, letting the wall catch him from behind. He finally let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

* * *

The brunette doctor paced back and forth in the waiting room. He ran multiple scenarios through his head, but no matter how hard he tried to calculate the what-if and should-have scenarios, it didn't change the fact that she was fighting for her life on an operating table right now.

He kept blaming himself for what happened to JJ. He sat down, just as Will arrived through the hospital entrance.

"Will," he greeted.

"Spencer, how did this happen? Why wasn't she wearin' her vest?" Will questioned. Spencer frowned. "She was. The bullet missed the Kevlar, entered just under her arm."

Will was trying to hold back tears. "Doctor told me her heart stopped,"

"It did, but they brought her back"

"I need to see her"

"She's already in surgery. It's going to be a while"

Will let out an anxious breath, as he took a seat in the waiting room.

_Come on, Jayje. Fight._


	4. ICU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will spends some time with JJ after her surgery.

**Intensive Care Unit, Floor 3**

"The surgery went well, and she's stable for now. We removed the bullet, but it tore through her lung, causing a hemorrhage. We've repaired the damage, but she's unable to breathe on her own. We've put her in a medically-induced coma for now, to let her lung heal,” the doctor explained, holding JJ’s chart.

The detective had one arm crossed, the other cupping his cheek. Will eyed the layers of white medical tape that ran across his wife’s face, keeping the tube secured to her mouth. The hiss of the ventilator felt like a cold slap to the face, but Will knew it was the one thing that was keeping her alive right now.

"How long will she be on the vent for?" he asked. The doctor glanced at the blonde laying in the bed.

"With the damage that she's sustained to her lung, the next twenty-four hours are critical. We'll see how she responds once she regains consciousness, but if she is still unable to breathe on her own we'll have to keep her on it and begin to wean her off the ventilator until she can breathe without it."

There was a short moment of silence in the room, as Will stood at the end of the bed, staring at his wife. She looked so different, being attached to all these tubes and monitors - unlike than the vibrant, spunky, firecracker of a wife that he had.

The doctor understood that the detective wanted to be alone with his wife. "I'll be back in a few hours to check on her." She said, gently tapping his shoulder. Will nodded, thanking her as she exited the room.

The detective pulled up a chair next to his wife's bed. He gently reached for her hand, rubbing circles on the back of it.

"Oh Jayje," he breathed, leaning in, resting his forehead against her hand.

He knew this was an occupational hazard. Hell, it was an occupational hazard for the both of them. He was reminded of when he was shot years ago, during the 'face cards' incident, when their family had been unwittingly targeted. JJ was furiously working to track down psychopath Izzy, trying to protect their son from harm, while Emily had worked to save the both of them from blowing up. It was a hell of a day, but they both managed to make it through.

Will remembered the time JJ had been kidnapped, and the anxiety he felt finding out that she was missing. He didn’t know if she’d make it out alive or not - she was being tortured for information, secrets were coming out that he never knew, and just the reality of her being missing was a living nightmare. When they found her, her injuries weren’t as bad as he thought they would be, but she would continue to struggle with PTSD.

Their line of work wasn't easy, or necessarily safe, but it was something the both of them were passionate about - keeping people safe. Protecting others. It was life's highest calling.

It came with sacrifice, but saving lives made it all worth it.

Still, it didn't make it any easier when his wife would have to go away from home for a case. He was stationed in DC for work, whereas she would travel all over the country. He prayed every time she left, that she would be safe. Will was always anxious every time she came home from a case sporting an injury - he just wanted to protect her.

But he knew better; he just hated seeing her hurt. Of all the times she’s come home injured, this was by far, the worst.

"Jayje, I don't know if you can hear me right now, but if you are, please keep fightin'. I'm right here, okay? I'm not goin' anywhere. I know you’re not quite out of the woods yet but I know you’re gonna pull through. You're the strongest person I know, and I need you to keep fightin'.”

His eyes began to water. Will LaMontagne wasn’t scared of many things, but right now, he was afraid. The reality of the possibility of her not making it began to sink in, and he felt his breath getting caught in his throat as he let out a heavy sigh. He was afraid of losing her.

“I need you. The boys need you. You're my rock, my world, my whole heart. The world ain't right if you ain't in it, so please, baby. Stay with me. We made a promise, to each other, remember? Promised we'd always come home to each other, and you're my home. Come back to me, Jayje. I love you."

He sat with her for the next little while.

* * *

**BAU**

"Will just called, JJ's out of surgery and in the ICU. She's stable for now, but she's in a medically-induced coma." Emily announced.

There was a heaviness in the round table room as the news was being delivered about their teammate. It was tough for the ladies, hearing all the action from the comms, not being able to see what was happening. All they heard was the commotion through their radios — Spence saying that JJ was down and bleeding out, provoking a degree of anxiety of not being able to do more — not being out there, in the field.

The boys particularly felt awful that they all had to split up, leaving JJ, the only girl in the field alone against Everett and Grace. When they heard Spence make the call, they sprinted to their location, horrified to see their teammate bleeding out and choking on her own blood.

Rossi, Alvez, and Simmons all stood in shock while the medics worked to save JJ’s life.

Emily realized that everyone, to some degree, was blaming themselves, so she broke the silence, echoing what Rossi had assured her of earlier. “Hey, none of this is any of your faults. Lynch did this, okay? JJ’s in good hands. I know it’s not quite the news we want to hear right now, but the main thing is that she’s still alive. She’ll pull through. Right now, let’s focus on catching Lynch.”

Everyone nodded, getting back to work.


End file.
